Ghost Contradiction
by Butterfly Hippie
Summary: When Sam is in the hospital for pnemonia, her roommate is Emily Link, a girl with cerebral palsy. But when Sam, Tucker, and Danny learn that the girl has ghost powers, can they teach Emily to work with her disability and use her powers? PLEASE RR!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I am the Box Ghost! BEWARE!" My best friend Danny rolled his eyes. "Sheesh. I'm going ghost!" Tucker and I watched as Danny kicked the Box Ghost's butt for about the thousandth time. I took in a deep breath of the night air. Then I suddenly started coughing hard.

Tucker took his eyes off Danny and turned to me, his brown eyes large with concern. "You okay?" I nodded briefly. "cough yeah cough. " Tucker didn't look convinced. Just then Danny sucked the Box Ghost into the Fenton Thermos and came flying down to meet us.

I was still coughing like an idiot. Danny raised an eyebrow as he turned back into his normal self. "Are you okay?"

"I'm FINE!" I shouted, but it came out more like a croak. Danny and Tucker exchanged looks. They shrugged and we kept on walking. We were all going to hang out at Danny's house for the night.

Halfway to Danny's house, I doubled over in another coughing fit. Danny and Tucker exchanged looks again, but this time they were worried looks. Danny reached over and put the back of his hand to my forehead.

"You're _not_ okay, Sam, you have a fever. Maybe you should go home and get some rest." I nodded wordlessly. Now that he mentioned it, I really didn't feel that good.

We were about two blocks from my place when I started coughing a third time. This time it was worse then ever before. I sank to my knees. Suddenly the world swirled around me and then it was all black.

The first thing I felt was pain in my chest. Horrible pain, like someone was tying a string and pulling it tighter and tighter across my lungs. I slowly forced my eyes open. I was lying in a hospital bed. Danny was sitting beside one side of my bed, while Tucker was sitting on the other, wearing that look he always got when he was in a hospital. Tucker hates hospitals. My parents were sitting in plastic chairs at the other end of the room.

"What……happened?" I managed to gasp. It was hard to breathe, let alone talk. Danny looked at me with worried eyes. "You passed out on the way home, Sam. You were coughing. We knew something was wrong, so we brought you here."

"What's……..wrong……with…..me?" Tucker now turned to me. "The doctors say you have pneumonia, Sam. You're going to have to stay in the hospital for awhile."

As I was digesting this news, a nurse came in, pushing a wheelchair. "Miss Manson, meet your new roommate, Emily Link." In the wheelchair was a small girl who looked to maybe be ten or eleven. She had short brownish-blond hair, and hazel eyes.

But something seemed _different _about her. I couldn't put my finger on it, but she seemed….unusual. If only I had known just how unusual she was.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Later the doctor gave me some kind of medication to help me breathe better. Danny and Tucker were long gone, they had wanted to stay with me, but Danny had to go on his nightly ghost hunt, and Tucker had gone with him. Personally, I think Tucker just wanted to get out of the hospital.

I was daydreaming when suddenly a soft voice from across the room intruded into my thoughts.

"Your name's Sam, right?" I looked around for the source of the voice, then realized it was Emily. My roommate. I nodded. "Yeah." Emily must have been as bored as I was, because she kept talking.

"So what're you in for?" I sighed. I really didn't feel like talking, but I guessed I had to. "Pneumonia. How 'bout you?" There was a pause, as if Emily was contemplating what and what not to tell me. "I have cerebral palsy. I'm here for a leg operation."

_Cerebral palsy…why did that sound so familiar?_ Then I remembered. I had done a report on cerebral palsy for Health about a year ago. I never thought I'd actually meet someone who had it.

Emily started talking again, more to herself than to me. "So, yeah. Basically I'm a thirteen year old freak. As if it wasn't bad enough having ghost powers…" She gasped as she realized what she had just said.

"Omigosh I can explain! I was just kidding! Seriously!" She started babbling and tripping over her words. I just lay there, a bit shocked. I mean, Danny was the only halfa…that we knew of anyway.

"CALM DOWN!" I finally shouted over her frantic raving. I heard a long sigh as Emily leaned back against her pillows.

"Calm down, Emily. I know all about halfas. My best friend Danny's one, too." There was a creak as Emily slowly pushed herself up.

"You don't mean….Danny Phantom?" I nodded. I could see across the room Emily's eyes growing wide.

"I thought he was just a myth…I've always heard about him. I kind of…modeled my ghost-fighting style after his." She sighed again, a long deep sigh.

"But the problem is, when I transform, I still have CP. So my balance is still horrible, my muscles are still tight, and even the Box Ghost can kick my butt!" She started crying silent tears.

Leaning on the bed for support (I still felt pretty weak), I made my way across the room to her. For the first time I realized how pretty she was.

I gave her a gentle hug. "Emily, its ok. Everything's going to be ok." As I comforted her, she smoothly transformed into ghost form, still crying hard.

Her ghost form was pretty, too. She had long black hair, down to her hips. She wore a tight hot pink shirt, and black pants. Her eyes changed from hazel to an astonishingly bright blue. I continued comforting her. I didn't know what else to do…I just hoped Danny would come soon and give me some ideas to help this sad, helpless, halfa.

A/N: You like? I hope so! KEEP REVIEWING! I get writer's block if I don't get reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As if that wasn't bad enough, at that point the Box Ghost appeared in our hospital room.

"I am the Box Ghost!" he taunted. "And _you_ can't catch me! BEWARE!" Emily let out a scream of rage and frustration and buried her face in her pillow, soaking it with tears. Just then, to my total relief, Danny (in his ghost form, of course) flew into the room.

"Maybe _she_ can't catch you." He yelled. "But _I_ can!" He twisted open the Fenton Thermos and sucked the Box Ghost (who was still screaming "Beware!") into it. Emily turned her tear-stained face and her sobs subsided a little bit.

"Danny Phantom?" she asked quietly. Danny nodded, his eyes clouded with confusion. "How do you know my name?" he asked.

I explained everything: Emily's cerebral palsy, her ghost powers, and her frustration about not being able to fight ghosts. Danny shook his head, lost in thought.

"Hmmm…" he said. "Hold on a sec." And he went zooming out the window and out of sight.

Emily and I looked at each other in confusion for a few minutes until he came back, carrying a pair of forearm crutches. Danny carried the crutches into the room and propped them up against Emily's bed.

"These are ghost crutches." He explained. "Push this button" he indicated a small button on the end of the grip that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise, "to activate the ghost-fighting platform." He pushed the button and a smooth metal platform slid between the crutches, connecting them. "The rest is all activated by voice command. Your voice, and _only_ your voice can activate the rest of the crutches' power. When you're not fighting ghosts, you can use them as regular crutches. Try it out." Emily stood on the platform and slipped her hands through the cuffs. "Ghost crutches, intangible!" she commanded. Instantly she, and the ghost crutches, became intangible. Emily smiled, the first time I had seen her smile.

"Cool." She said. I eyed Danny suspiciously.

"How did you get these?" I asked him. Danny shrugged. "My parents aren't the only Fentons with talent in making ghost-fighting tools.

I was very impressed. Just then Danny glanced at his watch.

"Oh my god, it's really late! I got to get back before Mom and Dad start thinking that I was kidnapped by ghosts or something.!' And without another word, he flew out the window.

I turned to Emily to say something, but then I noticed something. Emily's face, which a moment before had been lit with excitement and curiosity, was now a dark mask of worry and nervousness. I put my arm around her.

"What's wrong?" I asked her softly. Emily morphed back into human form, then answered. "I just remembered…I have my surgery tomorrow…I'm scared." I hugged her tightly, but inside I was worried too. Already I cared about Emily so much, and so did Danny. What if something went wrong with her surgery? I rubbed Emily's back until she fell asleep, then made my way back to my own bed. Exhausted from a combination of worrying and the pneumonia, I climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep, wishing that the morning, and Emily's surgery, would never come.

A/N: OMG I am sooooo sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever. I kind of had writers block, and I've been getting a lot of homework…yeah. Anyway I hoped you liked this chapter, please R/R. Oh, and for anyone who's been reading my Full House story, I have MAJOR writer's block-any ideas? Also, for anyone who doesn't know what forearm crutches look like, I'm not really good at describing them, so just go to Google images and search for forearm crutches. Next chapter WILL be coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The morning _did _come, and with it the day of Emily's surgery. Danny and I watched as the anesthesiologist placed a mask on Emily's mouth and nose as they were preparing Emily for the operation. As the anesthesia flooded her bloodstream, Emily's muscles relaxed, and for the first time I was able to see just the effect that the CP had on her body.

The hands that were once clenched in half-fists smoothed out. The legs that were once bent straightened. The feet that had once flopped to the side now were pointed up towards the ceiling. The eyes that had once wandered now stayed in place, and the limbs that were once always cold because of poor circulation grew warm. For the first time, Emily looked, well…normal.

We watched until Emily was wheeled into the elevator, then turned and quietly went back to mine and Emily's room. As soon as we entered the room, I started to cough. I suddenly felt very dizzy. Danny looked at me worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern. I shook my head. "I'm so…dizzy." I wheezed. My head began to swim, but I still had one thought firmly in my mind. _Get to my bed_. If I could lie down, maybe I would feel better. _Got to get to my bed…_The bed suddenly seemed so far away. I hadn't taken more then a couple of steps when I passed out, the only sound piercing the darkness was the persistent ringing of the call bell as Danny desperately called for a nurse.

Danny stood outside the Intensive Care Unit, watching my lifeless form on the bed. He was worried about me, and also about Emily. He paced up and down the hall, waiting for news on either of us. A nurse tapped him on the shoulder, interrupting his thoughts.

"Mr. Fenton? Miss Link is out of surgery and doing fine. She'll be waking up from the anesthesia soon; the Recovery Room is down the hall and to the right."

Danny whirled around and started quickly walking down the hall. He knew the nurse wouldn't have lied to him, but he wanted to see Emily with his own eyes.

He stepped into the recovery room and immediately spotted Emily stirring on a bed. He rushed over to her side and saw a thick plaster cast on each of her legs, from her toes to her hips. It was heartbreaking to see the spasticity returning to her body, like an evil monster intent on devouring her strength.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. "Yeah." Emily said groggily. She raised her head a few inches and her eyes scanned the room.

"Where's Sam?" she asked. Danny gulped. He wasn't sure how Emily would take the news.

"Um…Emily. I'm not sure how you'll take this…" his voice trailed off.

"Tell me." Emily said, a slightly panicked and urgent tone to her voice. Danny made up his mind.

"Sam's not doing so good. She passed out this morning and she's in the Intensive Care Unit. The doctors aren't very optimistic about her chances." Emily's face slowly changed from disbelief, to sadness, and finally confusion, as if she was debating something inside her mind.

"Danny." She said urgently. "Come closer." And then, whispering in his ear, she told him the other half of her ghostly secret.

A/N: Two chapters in three days, I'm on a roll! Lol. Anyway to answer some of the confusion, Danny had already had the ghost crutches made. He had them stowed away in a corner of the basement so his parents wouldn't notice it. Anyway I know what I'm going to write in the next chapter, so I probably will have it up by the end of this week, especially since we have a three day weekend! Yay! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Danny asked doubtfully. Emily looked grim.

"Well…no." she admitted. "I'm not sure. But it seems like the only chance we have to save Sam." There was a pause as both of them considered all the things that could possibly go wrong with this…but then they reminded themselves that they were doing this to save Sam's life.

"But I need to be completely and totally alone with Sam." Emily continued. "So after you help me to her bed, leave us alone. I'll call you when I'm done." She held up one of Tucker's many PDA's. Danny nodded.

"Got it." He said. Then, squatting slightly, he lifted Emily off the bed and into a wheelchair. Her plaster-encased legs stuck awkwardly out in front of her. Danny noticed this.

"Ah, well, that can't be helped." He put his full weight behind the wheelchair and began to push. He stopped at the edge of the Intensive Care Unit.

"Are you _sure_ you want to go through with this?" he asked for one last time. Emily nodded, sure of herself. "Yes." She said simply.

Danny held the door open while Emily wheeled herself inside. He gazed into her bright hazel eyes, and saw that she was on the brink of nervous tears. He gave her a quick hug. "Good luck." He whispered.

Emily wheeled herself to the edge of Sam's bed, letting her body get used to the peaceful silence only broken by the beep of the machines connected to her friend's body. Once again, she prayed to God that this would work. Then, she took a deep breath and prepared to do something she had only done once before, at the bedside of her dying mother. It had worked then, and she desperately hoped it would work now, not only for Sam's sake, but for _her_ sake, and Danny's sake, and Tucker's sake…everyone that cared about this tough Goth girl.

Emily focused as she placed her hands on Sam's still body. She let her hands become intangible and slide through her friend's skin. She felt a strange humming in her mind, and knew that it was working, that she was one with Sam. Slowly and rhythmically, she began to massage. Slowly and steadily she worked, until her hands became tired and she couldn't do it any longer. Emily became aware of her surroundings again, and wondered just how long she had been sitting there, calling upon all of her powers to heal one of the few people who had ever truly understood her.

She took the PDA out of her pocket and sent a message to Danny, who had been waiting anxiously. A minute later, the door swung open and Danny stood beside her, staring at his best friend on the bed.

"Well?" he finally asked. Emily considered for a moment. She couldn't be sure, but she just had a feeling…"I think it's worked." She said.

And so it did. A few hours later, a nurse came bearing the good news: Sam was well enough to be moved out of Intensive Care and back into her old room with Emily. She was still unconscious, but should be waking up soon. The nurse looked amazed.

"On the brink of death…" she said, shaking her head. "Then miraculously healed." She left the room still shaking her head, and came back a few minutes later pushing a stretcher with Sam on it. Sam definitely looked a lot better. The color had come back into her cheeks.

Emily lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. Noticing her weariness, Danny gave her a slightly panicked, and concerned, look.

"I'm okay." Emily said weakly, noticing Danny's expression. "It's just that healing takes a lot out of me, and being that this is only my second time doing it…" she didn't have enough strength to finish the sentence. She closed her eyes again.

All of a sudden, a shockingly familiar ghost appeared in the room. _Vlad Plasmius_. Vlad scooped up Emily from the bed and held her in his arms. She tried to go ghost, but she was just too weak. Danny transformed into his ghost form, and faced his archenemy head on.

"What are you doing here?" he yelled angrily. Vlad smiled his evil smile.

"Oh, just kidnapping your crippled little friend over here. But luckily, she isn't useless for _everything_." And before Danny, or Emily could say another word, he phased right through the wall and out of sight. Danny chased after him, but Vlad turned a corner and disappeared. When Danny got there, Vlad was gone.

Danny went back to the hospital room, where Sam was starting to stir. He shook her awake.

"Sam! Sam!" he yelled. "We've got to save Emily!"

A/N: _Two_ chapters in one day! I really am on a roll! By the way, I'm thinking that Danny made the crutches maybe like one day when he was bored or something. That's not really important. Where will Vlad take Emily? What has he kidnapped her for? Find out in the next chapter of _Ghost Contradiction_!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I dressed quickly, and Danny left a note for the doctors. _Went for a walk_, it read, _should be back within a few hours. Emily and Sam_.

I raised my eyebrows. "A few hours? Don't you think it'll take longer than that to save Emily?"

"Ghost Zone time is different from regular human time." Danny explained, going ghost and taking me by the elbow. "A few hours here might be a few days in the ghost zone.

We went intangible and slid through the wall of our room. Once outside, we flew to Danny's basement, where we stood there for a moment just staring at the ghost porthole. I knew that both of us were wondering the same thing: whether we would ever see Emily alive again.

Danny gulped. "Here goes." He pressed his thumbprint to the console in front of us, and the ghost porthole doors slid open. We stepped inside, both anticipating and dreading the journey to come.

_In another part of the ghost zone…_

Emily twisted and turned, trying to get free. Every part of her body except her hands had been bound and tied tightly. The ghost of a wounded soldier lay in front of her, his wound open and ghastly.

"Now," Vlad commanded. "Heal, heal, _heal_!" Emily let her trembling hands go intangible and started to furiously massage the ghost soldier. But even as she worked, she knew it wasn't working. Her healing had absolutely no effect. The soldier moaned and rolled over, spraying Emily and Vlad with bits of ghost blood.

"You stupid child!" Vlad yelled. "You will heal this soldier, and all the other soldiers I will need for my ghost army, or face my wrath! I need that ghost army so I can hunt your friend Daniel down, merge his powers with mine, and become the most powerful halfa in the world!"

Emily tried again, but it was no use. Her powerful healing powers seemed to have disappeared.

Vlad sighed in impatience. A mega photon blast, ten times more powerful than a regular photon blast, shot out of his palm. It hit Emily square in the chest.

Pain as she had never known it before shot through her body. Emily had known muscle aches as it pulled tightly on the bone. She had known horrible muscle cramps that nearly made her cry. But she had never known anything quite like this. Emily gasped for her every breath and the ghost zone before her started to swim. She was so weak…she couldn't fight as another mega photon blast hit her in the side. Her powers short-circuited, and she started to fall. Just before she hit the ground, she saw Danny Phantom, her hero, her friend, speeding towards her with Sam at his heels. _Is this an apparition?_ Emily wondered vaguely. But she didn't care.

Danny sped forward and caught Emily before she hit the ground. Her breathing was shallow and uneven. He cradled Emily in his arms. "I gotcha, Emily!" he gasped.

Just before she passed out, Emily looked up at the face of her rescuer. She saw in his face a mixture of worry, concern, relief, and…_love_? But she was too lightheaded and dizzy to think about it right now. She passed out in Danny's arms.

"Emily? Emily, wake up!" The voice sounded so far away…

"Emily!" The voice was now on the brink of tears. "Please wake up! We need you!"

Emily opened her eyes. Everything was so blurry...She blinked and the room slowly came into focus. Sam was leaning over her, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Sitting in a plastic hospital chair beside the bed she was in was Danny, looking anxious and worried.

She was in her old hospital room…so much had happened in that room, she realized. She took a shallow breath. It was very hard to breathe. All her memories came rushing back to her in a stomach-sinking swoop.

"How…long…have I…been…unconscious?" she gasped. Sam's face relaxed into an unmistakable expression of relief. "Almost a day now." She answered.

"Did…you…get…Vlad?" Danny held up the Fenton Thermos and smiled. "I'll keep Vlad in there for a long time…for your sake.

Emily smiled. But one thing was still bothering her.

"I tried…to heal…that ghost soldier." She told them. "But I couldn't. Even with the threat of that mega-photon blast, I couldn't. But yet, I healed Sam. Why?"

Danny and Sam exchanged looks. "We talked about that while we were waiting for you to wake up." Danny said. "We think its because your healing powers only come into play when there's dire circumstances…and also it has to be a person you really care about. You really cared about Sam, so you could heal her." Emily pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Wow…I never thought of that." Emily paused for a minute, and then added, "You know, I'm kinda like a ghost contradiction. I mean, nobody would expect someone with a physical disability, or any kind of disability for that matter, to be half-ghost, and fight ghosts alongside Danny Phantom…"

"But you proved them wrong." Sam finished. Emily nodded. "That's what I do. I love proving the world wrong. And I love showing them just what I can do."

A/N: Sorry I left you at such a huge cliffhanger for so long! I've been busy with school…uggh. Anyway, how did you like this chapter? I don't have a very clear idea about what I'm going to write next for this story, so it may be a while before I update again. Don't you think this could be a real Danny Phantom episode? I think so…That's how I've been picturing it in my mind…anyway I'm as usual, rambling on, so I'll stop here. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Days passed, and as there was no further sign of Vlad, we were hopeful that maybe Vlad wouldn't try to harness Emily's healing powers again. But that all changed one dreary evening.

The four of us were spaced out on mine and Emily's beds, just laughing and chatting and listening to the drizzling rain pitter-pattering on the window. We wanted to have fun, because Emily was being released the next day and going home. Danny and Emily were having a cool ghost duel, and I was rooting for Emily.

As Emily prepared to fire a photon blast, two ghost senses appeared: Danny's icy blue one, and Emily's bright pink one. The ghost sense distracted Emily, and the photon blast went off aim and hit the wall, leaving a gaping hole. None of us noticed though. We were all too busy looking around for the supposed ghost.

We soon found it. The ghost of a young woman, maybe in her thirties appeared in the room. Her long brown hair fell to her waist, and her hazel eyes scanned the room anxiously. Her face looked worried and troubled. She looked a bit hazy, as if some hidden power was constantly tugging her back into the ghost zone.

Emily's eyes came to rest on the woman and her expression changed. It went from alert and excited, to confused, to sad, and then to questioning.

"_Mom_?" Emily asked softly. And she was plunged into a torrent of heart-wrenching memories.

It was only a few years ago. Her mother had lain on her deathbed, in the last stages of kidney failure. Emily had sat by her mother's side, watching her, and hoping that the inevitable would never come.

"Emily..." her mother had whispered softly, the battle between life and death draining her strength. Emily moved closer, running her fingers through the tangled and dirty hair that hadn't been washed in weeks.

"Please...massage...me." Emily had to lean in close to hear the words.

"Ok, mom." Emily reached over and started to massage her dying mother's shoulders. Purely by accident, her hands became intangible and slipped through her mother's skin. At the time, she didn't realize what was happening. It was only later, when she started to piece together the clues, that she discovered this strange new power.

Emily didn't know how long she had massaged her mother when Michelle, her mother, straightened up.

"You know, sweetie, I think that really helped!" said Michelle brightly. To Emily's amazement, the long-forgotten color returned to her mother's gray face.

Michelle lifted herself out of the bed and stood up for the first time in months. She paced across the room, and faced her daughter.

"_I can walk again_!" she had whispered, ecstatic.

Emily had felt a shiver of excitement go down her spine. _She_ had made her mother better. Somehow Emily's massage had done what no doctor or medication could do: cure her mother.

But her glory had been short-lived, Emily remembered with a wave of grief. After a few hours, Michelle had become tired, and had climbed back into bed. Within the hour, the battle with Michelle's defected kidneys had been lost, and Michelle was dead.

Emily had moved with her father to Ashmane Park, the nearest town to Amity Park, after her mother's funeral. It was then she heard wild stories, about a ghost kid named Danny Phantom. After a few months of slowly piecing the puzzle together, Emily had come to the conclusion that her strange transformations, her kind of "alter ego" was her ghost half. And her failed healing attempt on her mother was a new ghost power, one that this "Danny Phantom" didn't have. Emily realized that her powers were not fully developed, and this was the most probable cause of why her mother seemed to have gotten better after Emily's massage, but then died anyway.

It wasn't easy struggling with both a physical disability and ghost powers. But now, with the help of Danny and his friends, Emily's powers were more developed, and she was now able to heal successfully. She still felt guilty though. Her powers may have saved Sam, but it was too late for her mother.

_Or was it?_ Emily wondered as she stared at her mother's ghost. Had her mother come back to give Emily a second chance?

"Emily...I cannot stay here for long. Because I was not born a ghost, I can only be a ghost for a very short period of time. But know this: I have come to warn you. Vlad is still after your healing powers, and he will do anything to get them. The only thing that can protect you is if you make peace with your ghost half. I know that for many months, your human and ghost half have been in a constant battle. I warn you now: _Make peace_. And in order to do that...you must begin..." Michelle was growing fainter now. "...at the beginning!" And then, just as quickly as she had come, she was gone.

The four teens sat and stared at each other for a moment. Then Danny voiced what they were all thinking.

"What was _that_ all about?" Sam and Tucker looked bewildered, but Emily was nodding slowly.

"That was my mother." Emily said, and then she launched into the story of her mother's comeback from death, only to be snatched away by death for good.

"And I believe what she said just now." Emily finished. "And tomorrow, when they discharge me from the hospital, I'm not going home. I'm going on a journey. I don't know where I'm going, or when I'll get there. I just know that it'll help me to begin at the beginning." Emily's friends exchanged looks, then Sam spoke.

"We're going with you." Emily smiled, but her eyes were troubled and confused.

"Begin...at the beginning." she murmured.

A/N: Well, well, well, how'd you like that! I am SO SO SO SORRY I haven't updated in months I've had the worst case of writers block EVER. But now the story's more open. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! Next chapter should be coming soon...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We started on our journey early the next morning. Emily had explained everything to her father, including the fact that she was half ghost, and while he had a little trouble swallowing the fact that there were such things as ghosts and half ghosts, and his daughter and wife were two of them, he believed us. As for Danny, mine, and Tucker's parents, we told them that we were going on a road trip with Emily. Hey, it was partly true, right?

We flew most of the way, with Emily and her new ghost crutches in the lead, and both halfas helped to make the four of us intangible. Once or twice Danny asked Emily where we were going, but she just smiled and said "You'll see."

We landed around dusk in front of an old, falling apart shack painted a peeling shade of purple. Emily heaved a heavy sigh.

"Welcome to home sweet home...or at least, it used to be." Emily explained softly. The three of us looked at each other in disbelief.

"This was your _house_?" Tucker couldn't help himself. Then he cringed as Emily turned on him and glared, her hands on her hips. One thing I had learned about Emily in the few weeks I had known her is that she could get pretty mad if she had something to be mad about.

"Sorry, Em! I didn't mean it!" Tucker backed off quickly. To our surprise, Emily smiled slightly.

"I know its not much for looks." she said. "But with my mothers' medical bills and the cost of necessities for the three of us, this was all we could afford. I lived here from the time I was born to a few years ago, when my mother died. I figured if we were going to begin at the beginning, we'd have to come here."

It did make sense. Emily phased quietly through the house to make sure that no one else was living in it, and then she motioned to us to come in. Danny made me and Tucker intangible and we phased through the house. Tucker wanted to pick the lock, but we told him no.

Emily stopped, hovering a few inches above the floor, in a room barely the size of a closet.

"Let me guess. Your old room?" I asked. Emily nodded slowly. Then we all noticed an old tattered book on the floor. Danny lowered Tucker and me to sit on the floor, so he could swoop down and get it.

Danny and Emily both changed back into human form and settled down next to me and Tucker. We all crowded around to get a good look at the old book.

"Little Known Ghosts..." Danny read the title slowly. On the cover there was a picture of a long-haired girl ghost with a pretty gold necklace with a blue stone around her neck. We all turned to Emily, but there was nothing but puzzlement written on her face.

"I don't recognize the title...but then again I'm such a bookworm that I may be forgetting it." Emily grinned and shrugged.

There was a light blue Post-It stuck on one of the pages about halfway through the book. Danny turned the page to the marker and we all stared down at the picture in front of us.

"Isabelle...the Healing Ghost." the headline at the top of the page read. Below the headline was a picture of the same ghost that was on the cover of the book.

I took the book from Danny and started to read the paragraph below the illustration softly, as if I was afraid that this...Isabelle could hear us.

"Isabelle is one of the most powerful, yet little known ghosts in the entire Ghost Zone. She is believed to be able to cure any illness or disability. Her source of power comes from the necklace she wears. The beautiful blue stone set inside the necklace is called the Healing Stone, and it is here from which all healing powers are controlled. It is believed that if the healing stone necklace is worn by a possessor of the rare Isabelle Power, a power to heal those on the brink of death and those who are closest to the person, then the wearer will be cured for a few short hours of any illness or disability they may have."

I finished the paragraph and looked over at my friends. They all looked shocked and a little confused, but none more so than Emily. Emily's face looked pale and frightened in the dimly lit room, and it struck me for the first time that Emily was just a little girl. A girl with many unfathomable challenges to face.

"_This is it!_" Emily whispered. "To defeat Vlad, we have to get that necklace! I don't know how I know, but _this is it. _We have to visit Isabelle and get that necklace. It's the only way."

And so a clue had been uncovered in the spider web mystery of Emily, her healing powers, and Vlad. I was scared, but I knew we would stick by Emily no matter what. "Emily...lead the way to Isabelle." I said, trembling.

A/N: Oooo...I've got you in suspense! Anyway just to clear up a few things:

In case you've been confused, I've kinda been switching between first and third person. Sorry about that. Sometimes when I'm writing, my mind and my fingers kinda get carried away and lose sight of the grammatical structure of things.

A few chapters back, when Danny and Sam saved Emily from Vlad, a few of you were confused that there wasn't a huge ghost fight b/w Danny and Vlad. If this was a real episode, there _would_ have been a ghost fight. I just don't describe it in the chapter. Got it? I hope so! Please READ AND REVIEW!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I didn't relish going back into the ghost zone for the second time in my life. I had had quite enough of it the first time. But I cared about Emily too much to let my fears stop me. Besides, if Emily could do it, so could I.

We all entered the ghost zone a little nervously. Not even Emily was quite sure exactly what we were doing, why we were doing it, and what we'd find out. Emily and Danny led the way, and Emily, who competed with Tucker in the most talkative category, was unusually quiet.

Every so often Danny and Emily would stop and consult Little Known Ghosts and the map of the ghost zone that Danny was in the midst of making. Between the two references, we could basically figure out where Isabelle was likely to be.

About the tenth time we stopped, Danny finally spoke.

"According to our references...Isabelle's lair should be right about...here." We all looked up. In front of us was a small house-apparently made out of ghost energy. Above it was a sign, in big shimmering blue letters: _ISABELLE'S LAIR...COME TO ME AND I WILL HEAL YOU. _Emily let a small whimper of fear and anxiety escape her, and I put my arm around her.

Danny slowly pushed open the door. Inside was a small room dimly lit with a blue, ghostly light.

"Um...hello? Isabelle?" Emily called softly. She was trembling badly. Suddenly, a ghost came gliding out. Isabelle.

"Why, hello there. Emily Link...or should I say Silver Lining. I have been expecting you."

Emily's eyes opened wide, and she seemed lost for words. Finally, after a few minutes, she found her voice.

"How do you know my name...or names?" Then she turned to us. "Silver Lining is my ghost name." she explained. "My mom used to call me that...because I could always see the good in every situation...the silver lining in every cloud."

Then Isabelle spoke.

"I know many things about you, Emily. Much more than you think." Isabelle started pacing in front of her lair, speaking rapidly, as if she was eager to get all her knowledge out.

"I didn't give you ghost powers, Emily. That's another ghosts' job, a ghost who shall not be named at this moment. However, I _am_ in charge of giving the halfas that look promising additional powers. Healing powers."

"Like me." Emily whispered. Isabelle nodded.

"Yes. Like you. But when I prepared to give you your healing powers, something went wrong, something unforeseen by me or any other ghost in the ghost zone. It is this incident that caused the condition that you mortals call cerebral palsy."

"I could've healed you, of course. But I was intrigued. I wanted to see how you would cope with being unique in more than one way...being a 'ghost contradiction' as you so accurately put it. And you have flourished. Oh, yes...you have flourished. A little too well. Because of your friendship with Danny Phantom." Isabelle looked at Danny.

"Your powers have become _so_ developed and _so_ useful that you have started to become a threat to other ghosts. It is this reason that Vlad Plasmius is now on a tireless hunt for you. Especially your healing powers. They have become the most powerful healing powers in a halfa I have ever seen. Most halfas who have healing powers are never even aware they have the additional gift unless a dire situation, like the illness of your mother, occurs. You are not only aware of your gift, you are _using_ it. Your healing powers are second only to mine."

Emily blushed at this last statement. But her next words were barely a whisper.

"Will...will Vlad kill me?" Isabelle hesitated, then spoke slowly.

"I wish, Emily, that I could say otherwise. But, alas, I cannot. Unless the ghost contradiction is corrected, unless the balance between disabled and non-disabled is tipped in one direction or the other...Vlad _will_ kill you. And he will do it soon, I warn you."

"I am willing to give you my precious necklace for a few short hours. It cannot make you _more_ disabled, as can be done...that half of the necklace belongs to my fool sister..." I suddenly realized that Isabelle's necklace contained only half of the beautiful blue stone. "but it _can_ make you _not_ disabled, at least for the time period you wear the necklace. Here," Isabelle fumbled with the clasp of the beautiful necklace, then let it drop into her palm. "use it well."

Emily reached out a shaking hand and accepted the necklace. I knew she was wondering, like the rest of us, what new puzzles and discoveries this necklace would bring.

"Good day." Isabelle smiled gently and watched as the four of us left.

We made our way to a more familiar part of the ghost zone that was empty, at least for the time being. Then, I helped Emily put on the necklace. It clashed with the hot pink of her jumpsuit, but somehow the stone was beautiful anyway.

"Well?" I asked anxiously as I finished putting the necklace on her. "How do you feel?" Emily was gazing, open-mouthed, into the distance.

"It's...amazing." she said finally. "I've...never felt this way before. I...I'm _free_." There was a kind of wild excitement in her hazel eyes, and I felt an excited shiver go down my own back. It was true. Emily was-for the first time in her life-free.

A/N: Ooooh did you like it? I'm planning on making the next chapter the last chapter. Maybe I'll split the ending up into two chapters, I don't know yet. But I _am_ going to make a sequel. I'm already planning the plot...I love fanfiction. As for my other stories, who knows. I'll probably update Circle of Light sometime soon...But I am going to finish all my stories. I vow to NEVER leave an uploaded story unfinished. I'll finish them...eventually. Anyway please read and review!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It took Emily some time to get used to being somewhat "cured" from having CP, and for quite awhile she couldn't focus on anything else. I finally got her attention with the question of whether we should go looking for Vlad, now that we supposedly had the power to beat him.

Emily shook her head. "No..." she said slowly. "I don't think we should go _looking_ for Vlad, that doesn't seem like a very good idea. No, I think we should let _him_ come to _us_." And so we did. "Are you scared?" I asked her.

"A little." Emily admitted. I hugged her gently. "Don't worry. Everything will be OK."

We went back to Danny's house to lounge around a bit. Emily tried to absorb herself in a book, but she kept glancing up. I knew she was nervous. I think we all were.

Then, finally, it happened. Vlad Plasmius materialized in Danny's living room. Emily leapt up, changing into ghost form. Danny also changed into ghost form in case Emily needed any help during the fight.

The fight began with Emily firing a photon blast directly at Vlad. Vlad rolled over to avoid it and gave her his evil grin.

"Well, well, well, it seems like Little Miss Cripple can now shoot a photon blast!" he said in a mock impressed tone. Emily moved to the side, and I caught a glimpse of her face. She was definitely furious. I could tell that she would fight him until she won. I just hoped that afterwards she wouldn't be too weak.

"Don't...call...me...a CRIPPLE!" Emily roared. Then one Emily became ten and they all fired photon blasts directly at Vlad. While Plasmius screamed in agony, Emily deftly flipped the lid of the Fenton Thermos, and pointed it at Vlad.

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_" Vlad screamed. And then it was all over.

I clapped and Tucker let out an admiring whistle. I looked over at Danny. His expression was half amazed and half slightly annoyed.

"_Ten_? I can't even do _two_!" he complained. But I could tell that he was happy for Emily. Emily fingered the stone on Isabelle's necklace.

"And it's all because of this." she whispered. Danny stood up. "Come on," he said. "Let's go back and return the necklace to Isabelle."

We found Isabelle's lair with no problems this time, unless you count the Box Ghost crooning over a cardboard box, then screaming BEWARE at us. Isabelle was outside of her lair.

Emily stepped forward, beaming.

"I did it!" she exclaimed softly, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "And it's all thanks to you, Isabelle! Thank you so much!" Isabelle smiled.

"I knew you would do it, Silver Lining." Emily undid the clasp of the necklace, and in that instant, I could see CP coming back to her body, like a shadow bearing down on someone. Her limbs became rigid and jerky again, and the eyes started wandering outwards once more. Emily stumbled a little bit, and I knew she was having trouble keeping her balance. I wished we had thought to bring the ghost crutches along.

"Here." Isabelle took the necklace and put it back on her own neck. On her, it looked like it belonged there, the stone fitting exactly in that little dip between neck and chest.

"Did you like having your CP lifted?" Isabelle asked. Emily nodded.

"Yes. Very much."

"Would you like me to cure you of CP forever? I would not like to, of course, because I want to see how you progress as a ghost contradiction. But it is, however, up to you." To my surprise, Emily shook her head _no_, vigorously. I couldn't believe it. This was the chance of a lifetime for Emily!

"No. Thank you anyway." Isabelle smiled.

"Goodbye and good luck, Silver Lining."

As soon as we were out of earshot of Isabelle, I turned to Emily, and the words tumbled out of my mouth.

"_Why_? Emily, just think! Isabelle could have cured you! You could have been like you were with the necklace...forever! And yet when the opportunity to be cured is held in front of your nose, you turn away! _Why_!"

I became aware that all eyes were on Emily. Everybody wanted to know the reason why Emily didn't want to be cured.

When she answered, it was in a slow and thoughtful manner.

"I've given a lot of thought to the subject over the years. But I don't want to be cured. I was born with CP. It influences so much of me: my personality, my outlook on life, my wisdom, even my friends. Remember? If I didn't have CP, I would have never gotten that leg operation...and never met you guys. Since CP influences so much of me, taking that away would be like taking away something that's a part of me...like my ghost powers, for instance. I would be left with so little. CP is me."

There was a stunned silence after that explanation. Finally it was broken by Danny's soft "Wow." Emily giggled, then smiled widely.

"I'm a ghost contradiction." she said confidently. "And I like it."

A/N: How'd you like the ending? Sequel should be up soon! Btw for the one or two of you that were wondering: Emily's point of view on the cure is EXACTLY the same as mine. I have a great life because of CP. Being cured would ruin it. Anyway pleeeeaaasseeeeee read and review and tell me what you thought of the whole thing!


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